Despite the popularity of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital and the abundant evidence on its separate parts, an empirical analysis of the entire causal chain is surprisingly missing. Based on data from the Beijing College Students Panel Survey, this paper employs structural equation modeling to fill in this gap. Results consistently substantiate the intergenerational transmission of cultural capital, the significantly positive effects of cultural capital on educational performance and socioeconomic status, and the mediating role of educational success between cultural capital and socioeconomic success. Specifically, I differentiate participation in high cultural activities from knowledge about high status culture, and reveal that it is the former rather than the latte...[ Read more ]

Despite the popularity of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital and the abundant evidence on its separate parts, an empirical analysis of the entire causal chain is surprisingly missing. Based on data from the Beijing College Students Panel Survey, this paper employs structural equation modeling to fill in this gap. Results consistently substantiate the intergenerational transmission of cultural capital, the significantly positive effects of cultural capital on educational performance and socioeconomic status, and the mediating role of educational success between cultural capital and socioeconomic success. Specifically, I differentiate participation in high cultural activities from knowledge about high status culture, and reveal that it is the former rather than the latter that plays a crucial role in social reproduction. Additional non-cognitive mechanisms are further incorporated and examined. As a whole, these findings shed light on the importance of cultural capital in the educational system and social stratification in contemporary China.

Keywords: cultural capital; educational inequality; social reproduction; China